.I appreciate the comments. Not looking for sympathy or solutions. It's just a cathartic thing for me.

As for the "get what you pay for" I agree with that, but it's beside the point. My aunt doesn't know enough about photography to know if $100 was a good or bad deal. Her hopes could have been raised just as high by an amateur who claimed to be a great photographer and showed up with pro looking equipment and a dominant attitude.

I just feel bad that anyone gave her reason to have high expectations and then dashed them. I guess I'd be a little more outraged if she had paid $1000 instead of $100, but the money isn't the issue.

As for seeing the pictures as someone asked, that would not be professional of me. But thanks for asking.

.As for seeing the pictures as someone asked, that would not be professional of me. But thanks for asking.

Kudos to you. I was wondering how you would handle that.

I had a similar experience to your Aunt and it bothered me to the extreme that now I am a wedding and portrait photographer vowing to not let that happen to any of my family, friends, and now, clients. I too take great pride in my work and am always improving. I probably should have just vented years ago. lol

.As for seeing the pictures as someone asked, that would not be professional of me. But thanks for asking.

Kudos to you. I was wondering how you would handle that.

I had a similar experience to your Aunt and it bothered me to the extreme that now I am a wedding and portrait photographer vowing to not let that happen to any of my family, friends, and now, clients. I too take great pride in my work and am always improving. I probably should have just vented years ago. lol

There is a wonderful statement..... "self evaluation is fraught with peril" I teach canoeing in my spare time.... You would not believe the number of "experts" who have not learned basic skills. Photography is no different.

When evaluating yourself, you need to compare yourself to the right people. If I compare myself to most friends, then I am a wonderful and skilled photographer. If I compare myself to the people on this forum, I have a lot to learn. As a "professional", this person should be comparing the self to other professionals, hanging around with them, and learning.

.As for seeing the pictures as someone asked, that would not be professional of me. But thanks for asking.

Kudos to you. I was wondering how you would handle that.

I had a similar experience to your Aunt and it bothered me to the extreme that now I am a wedding and portrait photographer vowing to not let that happen to any of my family, friends, and now, clients. I too take great pride in my work and am always improving. I probably should have just vented years ago. lol

Cheers,-Tabor

I have been asked (by friends) to photograph weddings, and said "NO!, I shoot wildlife.... I would suck at weddings"... and then asked the bride how she would feel if after the wedding shoot she found out half the pictures were of squirrels and ducks..... Hire me and that's what you will get....

It's not enough to get a good photographer, you need to find a good photographer for the subject matter.

There is a wonderful statement..... "self evaluation is fraught with peril" I teach canoeing in my spare time.... You would not believe the number of "experts" who have not learned basic skills. Photography is no different.

When evaluating yourself, you need to compare yourself to the right people. If I compare myself to most friends, then I am a wonderful and skilled photographer. If I compare myself to the people on this forum, I have a lot to learn. As a "professional", this person should be comparing the self to other professionals, hanging around with them, and learning.

SO TRUE!

I often find myself comparing the works from my business to others in various cities nearby. Often, it's easy to criticize someone else's images, (and sometimes the photo is just bad). Just as I feel good about myself, I come on here or view the works of some of my favorite modern day wedding photographers AND I'm humbled again. Still, we all have to learn at some point, but it was almost two years before I really began to charge for my services. Even at the first wedding I was asked to shoot, I was hesitant and mentioned my limitations, but hey, I did my best, gained more wedding gigs from it, and off I went.

Looking at the photographer's Web site she indicates she went to art schools and shot for magazines for several years. I wasn't exactly sure what my aunt wanted when she handed me the CD and asked me to "develop" the pictures and select the best 10 for printing.

There is a wonderful statement..... "self evaluation is fraught with peril" I teach canoeing in my spare time.... You would not believe the number of "experts" who have not learned basic skills. Photography is no different.

When evaluating yourself, you need to compare yourself to the right people. If I compare myself to most friends, then I am a wonderful and skilled photographer. If I compare myself to the people on this forum, I have a lot to learn. As a "professional", this person should be comparing the self to other professionals, hanging around with them, and learning.

How do we know if we're good photographers or not? I hate charging for shooting anything which is why I'll never be a professional outside of the place where I work (where I'm actually a professional photographer) Weird. Who can judge us and how much we're worth?

canon rumors FORUM

I live right next to a shopping centre and often see some "professional" with a setup consisting of a few boxes and cushions for the subject to sit on. They're armed with an entry-level DSLR and kit lens stuck on a small tripod (hey! they've got a tripod, how pro is that!!). I suppose they're just maximising profits. There is a board with example shots too - you know the type, bland images of kids against a white background. Honestly, it's just a conveyor belt of mediocrity. Plus they appear to charge about £45 a pop.

I'm not bashing entry level gear (clearly you can take very acceptable images with it) but I feel the end product from these goons is so poor yet people seem to lap it up. Is a grandparent really going to criticise any picture of their beloved progeny?

I know I could do so much better but have to consider if people would actually pay more when they're already happy with, for want of a better word, crap? I suppose you get what you pay for, especially at a makeshift "studio" in a shopping centre.

We should start asking these "professionals" how they achieve such bland results. Maybe stand next to him with a t-shirt that says, "Never pay for crummy photos".